Of People and Places

Part two of the conversation with Abhishek. To read part one of this conversation – click here . Many of the questions that he struggles with, I struggle with too. Some I had thought I had put to peace, but I was mistaken. We talk about things that make me uncomfortable. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone, to confront, to look truth in the eyes – It needs courage doesn’t it? Continued… So you think theatre can play an important role in bringing about change. Theatre can be a powerful influence. In the history of theatre performance in India, most plays were written for the stage, for the middle class and the elite. After independence, the style of writing changed – but even these plays were for people who were wealthy enough to give patronage to theatres. In parallel, a movement began – of working with the common people and performing amid them. Prithvi theatre and IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) – used to go to towns and villages an...

Abhishek is working in Eklavya Publications – A man of many talents, he has an abiding passion for literature, is well-read, opinionated and can break into song at the drop of a hat. His djembe has been a source of delight for many of us, when at sunsets and full moon nights he sings and plays, his eyes shining. The music makes us forget our troubles, at least for a little while. He often writes poetry in the form of songs and sets them to music.  This is a conversation in two parts. This is part one of the conversation-- Were you interested in theatre right from childhood? My interest in theatre came in much later, after I came to Bhopal to study Mass Communication. In the villages and the cities where I lived or in the schools that I went to as a child – there was never an atmosphere where somebody was reading, or somebody was interested in poetry, theatre or the arts.  I moved constantly with my parents, and I have lived in many places but it wasn’t...